IAF sends fighter jets to counter China’s UAVs, jets near LAC, reveals Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari

Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari has revealed that the Indian Air Force is alert about the Chinese aerial activities near the de-facto border LAC and responds in kind to any provocation.

He said whenever Chinese aircraft come too close to the LAC, IAF scrambles jets to chase them away. The Air Force chief’s remark comes on a day the Indian and Chinese sides are holding the 16th round of military-level talks to resolve the Ladakh standoff.

In an interview, the officer said the IAF’s actions have deterred Chinese activities.

“Chinese aircraft activity is closely monitored by us. Whenever we see Chinese aircraft or remotely piloted aircraft coming too close to the LAC, we take appropriate measures by scrambling or putting our aircraft on higher alert. This has deterred them quite a lot,” he said in an interview with the news agency ANI.

Referring to the increased Chinese activities ahead of the scheduled talks, he said he can’t pinpoint an exact reason. He, however, said the IAF had installed several security-related apparatus, including radars, soon after the Galwan incident in June 2020.

Around 20 Indian soldiers had died in the line of duty while fending off a Chinese onslaught. Several Chinese soldiers, including officers, were also killed in the brutal hand-to-hand combat.

He said after the incident, IAF started deploying radars all along the LAC in eastern Ladak.

“Gradually we have integrated all these radars with our Integrated Air Command and Control System so that we are able to monitor the air activity across the LAC.,” he added.